A Bit of Stocking Up ~ A Good - Dirty Apron Week

(before sauce reduced to half)

It's been a canner-ganza week.  I'm thankful for that too, and we haven't checked our pears yet (no apples or plums this year again). 

Homemaking goes to a new level when you homestead as well.  It's not just cleaning, tidying up, dusting, paying bills, vacuuming, sweeping, purging, baking, cooking, washing dishes, getting kids to appointments and off to school.....it's hard work.  My kids hate me this time of year, ha ha!  Literally.  Deep down, I know they appreciate it.

I'm looking forward to a huge crock pot of delicious chili soon.  All these tomatoes are making me hungry.

Got coffee?  Tea?  Adult beverage (ha ha!) 
You may need one to sip while you read through today's post.  Sorry for the length.  Like I said - a busy kitchen week.



I used about 23 pounds of those delicious tomatoes, to can up some seasoned tomato sauce (recipe is in the Ball Blue Book).

I used pint jars this time.  Smaller meal planning.

I had those hot banana peppers that were looking so good...

Progress?

I can't tell if we are making progress indoors, but I am making progress outdoors.  I spent the entire morning watering every single thing.  No rain in the forecast, and now no rain at all for a while.  Sigh.  

I picked some radishes that I enjoyed raw after that, and shared one with the now graduated, vegetarian daughter.  She doesn't like raw radishes, ha ha!  

Hot Banana Pepper Mustard Sauce

My restocking mode is really kicking into full drive here.  I got one kiddo to cut up my hot peppers, so I could zip up to the "big city" and drop off a motorcycle tire.  We wore it out already and we needed a "tune up" and new back tire.
When I got back home, the peppers were ready for me.

 I actually weighed my 36 peppers and they weighed bout 2 1/2 pounds.  

Since I gave you all too long of a blog post yesterday, today's is super short, ha ha!  The first batch of mustard sauce has been made.  Whew! I took the photo when it was still bubbly hot, and right out of the canner pot.  8 pints of goodness.

Recipe is posted here:  Pepper Mustard Sauce 

Canning Pepper Mustard Sauce ~ Tidbits

I froze more zucchini and squash for winter soups, sauces and casseroles.  Yesterday was a race against the clock.  Trying to put up the garden, and clean house both were a challenge.  

See that straw?  That is my food saver bag method.  It's a bit hillbilly, but it works for now.  I simply seal the bag all the way to one corner, slip the end of the straw in, suck out the air, quickly seal as I pull the straw out.  Boom-ba-da-bing - sealed and most of the air removed.  

From the Homesteading Journal . . .

(all the old roofing loaded up by my son and Hubby's brother-in-law)

. . . it took two days, but the leftover roofing was removed, and half of the new roofing was put on. Hubby miscalculated on his measurements and we need to do an exchange for longer roofing. 

. . .we were blessed with enough cucumbers for me to can 7 more pints of bread and butter pickles. I purchased another bushel of corn and stocked that up in the freezer.  I also purchased 5 lbs. of beets, and added 1 pound from our own garden, and canned one batch of spiced beets.  And I purchased local peaches and canned 15 - 1/2 pints of peach jam. And that's not all.  I purchased 36 hot banana peppers and canned 4 quarts of Hot Pepper Mustard Sauce. I also canned 5 - 1/2 pints of Ruby-Red Grapefruit Jelly (another new recipe I wanted to try).